Monday, October 8, 2012

Book Wreath How To (in pictures)

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Book wreaths started popping up all over Etsy and the blogs last fall.

They looked like a fun and simple project and I thought my friends might like to receive them as gifts since so many are avid readers. Five wreaths later, I finally decided to keep one for myself.

I let my son choose the ribbon and the glitter color- he picked a nice wide velvet spider and was pushing for the purple glitter spray paint. I convinced him that silver was way cooler, thinking that I could switch out the ribbon for other seasons, but glittery purple, as much as I loved it too, was going to have to come down after Halloween.

I've tried a few different approaches to making these wreaths and the one I prefer is to roll all of the pages first and then apply them to the wreath form. 

First I spray paint the 3 edges of the book and let them dry. (For this one, I added another spray at the end for some holiday sparkle.) Making sure to leaf through the pages as they are drying so they don't stick together! 

Then using my hot glue gun I roll each page around my index finger and secure the cone with a line of hot glue. (handy I don't need my fingerprints right now because I have NONE left - caution- the glue is HOT) My kids would love to help, but the glue gun gets dangerous even for me.

This was the result after my second episode of "Storage Wars." This can get a little messy for a couch project, but I wanted to catch up on some HGTV.

I used a 3.99 straw  wreath from Michael's. It works as well as foam and was $8 less...It was a bit messy for the couch.



 My little buddy helping out.


One more episode of "Storage Wars", followed by two episodes of "Property Brothers" and here is the almost finished product!


I add some scraps to the back because I like to hand them on mirrors and don't want to see the ends.


I LOVE this paint. I covers beautifully. Krylon's lime green glitter is another one of my favorites.


I've been looking at these faded blue walls for a while and these photos are the last bit of convincing I needed to change the color. I'm debating a neutral warm gray,  cream or even a cafe au lait... Something soft and neutral. I loved the blue initially, but it keeps fading away in the sun. 



Interesting fact. I LOVE my burlap drapes, but even lined, the sun will burn them.
I've learned to embrace the imperfection since I can't prevent it.


I added a quick wash of white paint over this basic gold mirror to make it a little more casual.





I'm seeing some fresh, neutral paint on these walls and a nice brown and white cowhide rug layered over some pattern in here. Next project!













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2 comments:

  1. Hey there, what an awesome wreath!!! I love it, so simple, yet look how nice on display!!!
    I am visiting today from Naptime hope you ca stop by my linky if you have time
    http://ohmyheartsie.blogspot.com/2012/10/think-pink-blogger-event-free-to-signup.html
    Have a great day!! Thanks for sharing!
    Karren

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  2. Wow that's one of the best book wreaths I've seen. I wouldn't of thought of using a straw wreath, and found it interesting how you layered and attached them. It looks beautiful on your mirror! Thanks for sharing your inspiration with Sunday’s Best – you helped make the party a success!

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